Saturday, 23 March 2013

Tea with Voltaire

A penning of my thoughts inspired by dVersePoets , we're having A cup of tea with Miss Marple over at the bar with Claudia.

I DO NOT TAKE CREDIT FOR THIS IMAGE

Er….Should I stutter by way of confession?Even now his smile seems to me like a grimace;Never had he the courage to feign a concessionHis regal spirit his worthy solace.Violent underlings guised as leadersPerched on high seats of counselDiscussing, consorting, plotting-Building a barrage against a friend to the nation;The friend’s beautiful mind his only bastion.High walls they built to keep him from the people;Walls that caged their own defeatist minds Blinded by wrath they spoke against you friend, Words that crossed rivers, watered spiritual fields;Opened a narrow eye leading to a life saved.Yes confess I shall, in timeHow oft’ I sat thinking, reasoning, questioning your motivesDigging through the depths of my bigot mind-I cannot conclude, you are too wide for my little modern form,Your invariable mind overpowers my weak thoughts.I’d like to discuss matters of faith with you,Shed a light on your path.Opinions being the abstract and life experience the focalSpeak about God in my life, tell you of the roads we’ve travelled togetherNights I lay awake, conversing with Him Only to wake to a miracle on my doorstep.I could tell you about the comfort I sought when a friend I lost,When He was my Friend and Guide;He revealed himself through words and works,Lying on a death bed I called out to Him and again, He heard my cryMy imperfect life needs no mouthpieceBut perfect peace I find in Him.Your journey was no different from that of Jesus’ disciples-In and out of prisons they buoyantly strode,Stripes on their backs bore witness to a life.They wouldn’t renege on their chosen pathNever would they forsake the ascended Gallelian;The law scorned, bribed and murdered,Barking orders from their seats of glory.Jesus was magnified even so.

nice...would def be cool to share a story or two with him...to hear of his faith in hard places....how even on our death bed he ministers to us...and our personal experiences add depth to our theories and theology...

He was a very interesting man, wasn't he, a great mind, generous and full of good deeds, yet sometimes quite flawed as a human being (petty quarrels, his ego, his love life) - well, aren't we all flawed? Yet a real sense of humour and warmth and humanity - your sense of awe need not leave you silent in front of him. I happen to live very close to his house and model village, where he spent the final years of his life, and I feel completely embraced by his spirit as I walk through the grounds of his chateau (he does have a church there, despite his satire of church dignitaries). Have you read Dinah Lee Kung's 'A Visit from Voltaire'? It's a wonderfully comic novel which I think really recaptures some of his most lovable qualities.